Egypt alone has sovereignty over the Suez Canal: Official sources

Egypt Independent

28-04-2025

Recent statements by US President Donald Trump have sparked widespread controversy, after he called for free passage for American military and commercial vessels through the Suez and Panama Canals – arguing that these two canals would not have existed without the US.
Official Egyptian sources have criticized the US President's statements, describing them as another example of American bullying.
They explained that Egypt alone has sovereignty over the Suez Canal, which is an Egyptian-owned international waterway through which any vessel is permitted to pass, regardless of its flag or nationality.
All vessels passing through the Suez Canal, whether military or commercial, must pay transit fees for guidance, maritime operations, and other considerations, in accordance with international maritime laws recognized by every country with a waterway, the sources stressed.
They emphasized that no one is allowed to speak on this matter except for Egypt, which alone determines transit fees, whether by reducing, increasing, or exempting them in certain cases.
US President's statements not grounded in reality
The head of the Egyptian Maritime Organization Sayed al-Shazly al-Naggar called Trump's statements little more than empty rhetoric, aimed at maximizing commercial benefits, with no basis in reality.
Trump entered his second term by inciting trade wars with all countries, which Naggar warns will cause a rapid decline in the value of the dollar as investors flee with their deposits to more stable countries, in addition to the raging trade war between Trump and China.
Shazly added that US inflation rates have reached their highest levels after all countries began storing gold as a savings instrument instead of the US currency.
International law experts confirmed that Trump's statements regarding the Suez Canal threatens the stability of international waterways and pose a clear threat to international peace and security.
Suez Canal fully under Egypt's control
Professor of International Law, Ayman Salama explained that the Suez Canal, despite being a vital artery for global trade, falls under full Egyptian sovereignty and is subject to the rules of international law and the provisions of the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which guaranteed freedom of navigation for all ships without discrimination.
However, this does not diminish Egypt's sovereign right to manage the canal, regulate ship traffic, or impose fees, Salama stressed.
Trump's statements open the door to legal chaos that threatens the stability of international waterways, he warned.
Salama emphasized that respect for international treaties and state sovereignty is a safety valve for global order, and that the international community must confront any attempts to impose practices that fall outside the framework of international legitimacy.
Trump continues to surprise
Political thinker and member of the Senate, Abdel-Moneim Saeed said that Trump is full of surprises, with his outlandish statements either coming to achieve goals he believes are in America's best interest or to convince the American people that everything is beneficial.
Saeed added that Trump, during his first week in office, spoke of matters regarding Canada, Greenland, Panama Canal without any knowledge of their history.
In that vein, he explained that Trump knows nothing about the Suez Canal and its relationship to Egypt, which was dug by Egyptians and has claimed an estimated 120,000 lives to do so.
Trump is trying to pressure Egypt once again with the displacement of Palestinians, this time through the Suez Canal, to force it to accept what it has previously refused, he noted, stressing that Egypt will never accept this.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm